Overweight and Bulking up

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MrBiggiesworth
MrBiggiesworth Posts: 846 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I have noticed that many people who have very bulky, muscular builds come from being really large and overweight. So they had a lot of lean body mass underneath and when they started weight loss they ended up having a thick muscular build. When I lost my weight I just became very slender and not as muscular as I want to be despite lifting weights. But I wasn't really all that big to begin with.

What I wondered is if these muscular people are most likely just naturally larger or if the fact that they used to be REALLY big caused them to develop a lot of muscle underneath?

Replies

  • watto1980
    watto1980 Posts: 155 Member
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    They got their muscle and fat lifting weights with progression combined with eating over maintenance.

    Did you lift weights with progression while you got fat? Or did you start lifting weights when you began cutting? That's probably the difference.
  • shane_tac1
    shane_tac1 Posts: 35 Member
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    Are you talking about guys who purposely were bulking and then cut up or are you talking in general about over weight individuals who didn't really do any weight training but then when they did decide to lose weight they still maintained a stocky looking appearance?
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    Maybe provide an example for clarity.
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    I had a hell of a lot of muscle underneath the fat but I think it's more due to being fat and lifting a lot of heavy things (outside the gym), both growing up on a farm and on my first job as a CNA.
  • lilmoose0
    lilmoose0 Posts: 4 Member
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    Are you talking about guys who purposely were bulking and then cut up or are you talking in general about over weight individuals who didn't really do any weight training but then when they did decide to lose weight they still maintained a stocky looking appearance?

    People who were not weight training much before losing weight.
    In that case, genetics plays a large part. Maybe they're naturally large and gain muscle easier than most.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
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    When sedentary obese folks lose a lot of weight, they aren't typically muscular from what I've seen.

    If you take a powerlifter or lineman (i.e. someone who started out notably strong but fat) and lean them up, they'll be very muscular.
  • lilmoose0
    lilmoose0 Posts: 4 Member
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    When sedentary obese folks lose a lot of weight, they aren't typically muscular from what I've seen.

    If you take a powerlifter or lineman (i.e. someone who started out notably strong but fat) and lean them up, they'll be very muscular.
    Exactly, I'm a good example of this. Ex. lineman, been lifting off and on since teens. Started weight loss above 368 down to 327 currently. People never guess I weigh as much as I do.
  • PJPrimrose
    PJPrimrose Posts: 916 Member
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    I noticed that a lot of large guys hate cardio and lean towards weight lifting. So they go from being overweight to a lot of muscles more often than not.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,141 Member
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    You don't have to get overweight exactly, just eat above maintenance whilst you lift and when you've gained some muscle you can cut to show the muscle underneath.

    ETA alot of people with muscle will show up at overweight/obese on bmi charts, but it's due to all the muscle and not in the traditional way of too much fat
  • lilmoose0
    lilmoose0 Posts: 4 Member
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    You can't "serve two masters" so to speak. Yes it's possible to gain some lean mass while cutting, but you're better off cutting first to an ideal body fat %, then bulk up after. The ones that do it best cut down to 8%-10% BF then bulk back up till they reach 15%, then cut back down to see their lean gains. Yes you will loose strength while cutting but if protein is kept high enough you should lose little to no lean muscle mass. Evaluate your goals and attack.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    So if I want to add muscle mass, is the best way to get big and overweight again while lifting the whole time, or to try to maintain a lower weight while lifting heavy?

    the best way - IMO - and from what I have seen others suggest is to cut down to about 15% body fat or lower, and the do a bulk where you add muscle and of course some fat, and then after three months go back and do a cut again to get rid of the extra body fat...

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